Ed Miliband, leader of the British Labour Party, took the risky step of talking about faith at his party’s annual conference. ‘Not a religious faith,’ he was quick to point out, ‘but a faith nonetheless; a faith that I believe many religious people would recognise.’
‘I believe we have a duty to leave the world a better place than we found it,’ says Miliband. ‘I believe we cannot shrug our shoulders at injustice and just say ‘that’s the way the world is and I believe that we can overcome any odds if we come together as people.’
The second son of Jewish refugees who came to Britain during World War II, Miliband expresses his search for justice outside of synagogue and void of God language or religious story. A bit like the one in six American Jews who are now called The Unaffiliated by a study reported in tabletmag.com.
Being unaffiliated is on the rise worldwide. The latest Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life indicates that around 20% of Americans have no religious affiliation (the highest percentages in Pew Research Centre polling) although many still consider themselves religious or spiritual in some way. Read more
Sources
Sande Ramage is an Anglican priest and blogger.